Manually-operated switch stand



0. H. BARDQN.

MANUALLY OPERATED SWITCH STAND APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25, 1921.

2 PatentedSept.12,1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

O. H. BARDDN.

MANUALLY OPERATED SWITCH STAND.

APPLICATION FILED N0v..25, 1921.

1,428,874, PatentedSept. 12, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 12, 1922,,

OLIVER H. BARIDON, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

MANUA'LLY olEfiATED SVJITCH STAND.

Application filed November 25, 1921. Serial No. 517,669.

T 0 all whom it may cancer 21,:

Be it known that l, Omvnn H. BARDON, a citizen of the United States, residing at lincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Manually-Operated Switch Stands, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to manually operated parallel ground throw switch stands for use on railways and to the connections between said stands and the switch point rails. Such stands have a target shaft with targets "for use by day and a lantern with colored lights for use by night.

A very dangerous feature in most of the latched switch stands now in use is, that, when a switch is run through, the'torce of the flanged wheel forcing its way between .the points, causes the latch or lock to release the throwing lever which returns to its former, or open, position with tremendous force, thereby endangering lite and limb, and sometimes hurls oft fragments of metal due to the force'with which the lever enters the latch or lock on the opposite end of the stand. 4

One object of my invention is to provide a switch stand that will remain automatically locked from the rail end of the device when the throwing lever is in either of its horizontal positions, rendering unnecessary the use of locks or latches. Looks or latches are and must be used on practically all of the types of switch stands in general; use.

Another object of my invention is to provide a switch stand equipped with a cheaply and readily renewable element having a "frangible part which element is securely held. against accidental displacement by the fork of the connecting rod; and the frangible portion of said element has suflicient cross sectional area towithstand the strain 01' normal trailic; but will auton'iatically shear; oil when subjected to the abnormal strain caused by the spreading of points and run throughs.

Another object of my invention is to provide a switch stand in which the levers are so arranged and constructed that the labor of operating the s 'itch is'reduced to little more than the force necessary to lift the weighted lever from horizontal to vertical position. hen the weighted lever passes vertical or neutral position, it will fall by gravity to the opposite horizontal position and in so doing change the position of the switch points through the levers and cranks hereinafter described. 1

Another object of my invention is to provide the maximum amount of protection for the working parts against snow and ice in winter and rain and dirt in summer.

Another object of my invention is the elimination of bolts, nuts and cotter pins, which become lost, and gears, racks and springs, which cause lost motion, and all of which constribute largely to inefficient operation and high cost of maintenance of switch stands now in use.

' My invention provides a switch stand of few and simple parts, with resulting economy of manufacture and replacement upon breakage, and of great ease of operation and reliability'of performance, for both opening andclosing movements are positive. The complete switch stand will weigh about'65 or 70 pounds. The element with the trangible part is so smallthat it will lie in the palm of the hand and weighs about four ounces. The parts require very little ma chine work and the operations are simple. These facts are mentioned to emphasize the. points just above mentioned.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a perspective of my switch stand in position for use, the switch which it operates and the adjacent tracks, 7 Fig. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of my switch stand with the cap removed showing the levers and cranks and their relation to the operation of the mechanism,

Fig. Bis an enlarged front elevation of the device show ing the normal working posi tion of the stand between ties with the work ing parts dotted in,

Fig. 4; is "an enlarged vertical section on the line 4-1; of Fig. 3 as though shown there in full, showing working parts of the device in elevation.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section on'the line 5-5 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 6, an enlarged detail, is a perspective of the renewable element with its frangible part. 1

Referring now to the drawings; A is the supporting housing upon which the working parts rest, and it is hung upon and seated between the ends of two contiguous railroad ties extended for the purpose. A is the housing cap which seats upon. A protectlng the working parts.

B is the throwing lever which is used to It has weight b,

Dmounted upon it and said crank is adapted to travel lengthwise of said bar.

The L-shaped sliding element D has a vertical slot (Z in which the pin 6 operates to shift said L-shaped sliding element, and arear- ,wardly' extending arm 6Z1, with a lug or pin d upon the upper side of the end thereof. A connecting crank E formedas a bel1- crank lever, has through one of its arms a vertical slot 6, longitudinal of said arm, in which the pin (Z operates. At the outer end of the other arm of the connecting crank E is a vertical recess c with relativelynarrow outer portion or neck and enlarged inner portion adapted to receive and securely hold the projecting frangible part 7 ofthe renewable element F. The connecting crank E is pierced vertically at its elbow by a squared hole 6 in which seats a squared portion of the target shaft G. On its under side the j connecting crank E has a boss 6 which seats in a vertical hole a, through a boss a on the inside of the supporting housing A, forming a bearing for said connecting crank. v I

The renewable element F has a vertical hole 7 adapted to receive a pin it which connects the forked end k of the connecting rod H with the replaceable element F. The fork k prevents the frangible part f T from leaving its seat-0 in the connecting crank E.

The connecting rod H is connected with the switch points in the usual way. The target g and lantern support 9 are of the present well. known construction.

I do not limit myself to the precise structure shown, but obviously many changes may be made and any device that willread upon the claims or any of them is within the scope of my invention.

The operation of the device is as follows: The weighted throwing lever B is lifted from whichever horizontal. position it is at the time, carried past the vertical position and released, whereupon it drops to the opposite horizontal position. In so doing the pin 5 shifts the intermediate crank D lengthwise of the travel bar C. This causes the pin 03 to shift the lever- E, and through it to shift the connection rod. H to open or close the switch as the case maybe, and at the same time to rotate thetarget g onefourth turn.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters ,Patent of the United States, the following 1. A manually operated Switch stand comprising essentially the combination of a throwing lever, a travel bar, an Lshaped sliding element adapted to be moved l11gthwise on said travel. barby said-throwing lever, a connecting crank, means for'transmitting movement from'said Lshaped.'-sliding element to said connecting crank to oscillate the latter, a replaceable member constituting in efiect an extension of the outer arm of said connecting crank, a'i'ecess in said arm of said connecting crank and a frangible extension on said replaceableelement for connecting said replaceable element with said connecting crank, 1 a connecting rod, adapted-to throw'the switch, said connecting rod pivoted to sald replaceable element, a bearing on said connecting crank intermediate its said connections and a target shaft at said bearing adapted to; be rotated by the oscillation of the connecting crank. I

2. A manually operated switch having in combination, a throwing lever, a pin on said throwing lever, atravel bar, an L-shaped element with a vertical and a horizontal arm, said element "reciprocable on said travel bar, and having a vertical slot in said vertical arm into which said pin extends to produce said reciprocation upon movement of said throwing lever, a substantially vertical lug on said horizontal arm,- a connecting bell crank lever pivoted at the elbow, a slot in one arm of said connecting crank to engage said lug and by which lug said connecting crank is oscillated, a recess in the end of the other arm of said con necting crank, a renewable element consti-' tuting an extension of saidarm with a head stand necting neck of such proportions as to be broken by abnormal strains thereon exerted from the switch to be controlled by said stand, a hole through the outer portion of said renewable element, a connecting rod pinned through saidhole to the renewable element at one end and to the switch to be thrown at the other, and a bearing for said connecting crank intermediate its ends and a target shaft secured to said connecting crank at said bearing, and adapted to be rotated by the oscillation of said connecting crank.

3. A manually operated switch-stand having in combination, a throwing lever. having a pm engaged in avertlcal slot in an L- shaped sliding element and adapted to reciprocate said Leshaped sliding element, said pin being on dead center at either horizontal position of said throwing lever, said L- shaped sliding element seated upon and adapted to travel lengthwise of a travel bar, a substantially horizontal arm of the L shaped sliding element with a substantially vertical lug on said arm, a connecting crank with a substantially longitudinal slot on one end. in which slot the vertical lug seats to oscillate said connecting crank, a recess in the other end of said connecting crank, a renewable element one portion of which is adapted to seat in said recess so as to cause said renewable element to constitute an extension of said arm, and having a frangible portion adapted to be broken by abnormal strains thereon exerted from the switchto be controlled by said stand, a hole through the outer portion of said renewable element, a connecting rod pinned through said hole to the renewable element at one end and to the switch to be thrown at the other, and a bearing for .said connecting crank intermediate its ends and a target shaft secured to said connecting crank at said bearing, and adapted to be rotated by the oscillation of said connecting crank.

l. A manually operated switch stand having in combination, the throwing lever B, the L-shaped sliding element D adapted to be pushed lengthwise of the travel bar C by the lever B, the connecting crank E adapted to be oscillated by the movement of the L-shaped sliding element D, the renewable element F with a frangible part forming an extension of the throwing arm 01 the connecting crank E, the connecting rod H secured to the switch to be thrown at one end and the renewable element F at the other, a target seated upon the connecting crank E and rotated by its oscillation, and elements B, C, D and E resting upon the supporting housing A, and adapted to be lifted therefrom to disassemble said device.

5. In combination with a switch stand of the character indicated, a switch. throwing crank, a renewable element adapted to con stitute an extension of one arm of said crank, a connecting rod pivoted to said renewable element, and a frangible part of said renewable element adapted to connect said renewable element with the end of said arm of said switch throwing crank so that when an abnormal strain is put upon the switch it will be transmitted through said connecting rod and break said frangible )art. 1 In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

, OLIVER H. BARDON. 

